WhenToBird

Stelgidopteryx serripennis · Hirundinidae

When Do Northern Rough-winged Swallows Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Photo: Peter Chen 2.0, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Rough-winged Swallows reach Massachusetts in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 1-7early April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byJul 15-21mid July

Best: early May. First arrivals early April; most are gone by mid July. Peak: on about 7.1% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.1% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.7% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.2% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.4% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.5% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.4% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.7% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.0% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.1% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.8% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.2% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.7% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.7% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.4% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.2% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.2% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.6% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.0% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.8% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 44323 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Massachusetts that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hampden CountyBest late April · 1360 checklists that week, 35,410 in all12%
  2. Plymouth CountyBest the second week of May · 3472 checklists that week, 89,282 in all10%
  3. Franklin CountyBest early May · 1762 checklists that week, 41,382 in all9.1%
  4. Suffolk CountyBest early July · 1526 checklists that week, 112,443 in all8.6%
  5. Bristol CountyBest early July · 1098 checklists that week, 65,262 in all8.2%
  6. Essex CountyBest early May · 7023 checklists that week, 213,973 in all8.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gully Point CoveEssex County, best late June · 31 checklists that week, 810 in all67%
  2. Long PondBarnstable County, best late April · 55 checklists that week, 631 in all67%
  3. Sears LandMiddlesex County, best early May · 46 checklists that week, 1,084 in all66%
  4. Manomet Bird ObservatoryPlymouth County, best late April · 163 checklists that week, 3,294 in all65%
  5. Clark Pond (Stockwell Ponds)Norfolk County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 198 in all59%
  6. Pamet River MarshesBarnstable County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 142 in all59%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Northern Rough-winged Swallow is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (2.6% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (630) to judge1 am: too few checklists (657) to judge2 am: too few checklists (645) to judge3 am: too few checklists (850) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3787) to judge5 am: too few checklists (29743) to judge6 am: 3.0% of 108601 checklists7 am: 2.2% of 186104 checklists8 am: 2.2% of 185905 checklists9 am: 2.0% of 166049 checklists10 am: 1.8% of 150508 checklists11 am: 1.6% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 1.6% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 1.5% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 1.6% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 2.1% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 2.5% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 2.8% of 41435 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (21041) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5240) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1094) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (704) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0.2%
April1.1%2.7%5.2%7.4%
May7.5%6.4%5.7%5.0%
June5.1%4.8%5.2%5.7%
July5.7%4.4%3.2%2.2%
August1.6%1.0%0.8%0.4%
September0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0%0%
December0.1%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives early April, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives the second week of April, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives late March, 1 week earlier than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of April, 1 week later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Northern Rough-winged Swallows arrive in Massachusetts?
Northern Rough-winged Swallows reach Massachusetts in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.
When do Northern Rough-winged Swallows leave Massachusetts?
Most Northern Rough-winged Swallows have left Massachusetts by mid July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of August.
When is the best time to see a Northern Rough-winged Swallow in Massachusetts?
The Northern Rough-winged Swallow is reported most often in early May, on about 7.1% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Northern Rough-winged Swallows seen most often?
By county, Hampden County, Plymouth County, and Franklin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Rough-winged Swallow (counties with at least 200 checklists).